Model Variation confusion

[vborovic]

I think any estate would suffer if overloaded with 3000 pounds of cargo like in sticky's case ...

[Stickyfinger]

No, an estate that suffers thru being used to carry 400 odd kg very often on long runs.. You cannot expect a bearing to last a life time and/or IF left to rot, ANY "primary" bearing will fail.

I do not blame the car/design at all, just I am aware of these bearings as I carry those radiators. Catch them before/IF they break-up and all is well. Change at the first creak is what I do, leave till they go BANG and the sub-frame sockets can oval. Do it early and you spend less and on a 2-4K cars there is for me a very strict economic graph. I take it you would say the same thing about timing belts and water-pumps then ?

I am also convinced this bearing is helped a lot by weekly Citroen-aerobics distributing grease during slow movements thru its maximum arc.

[vborovic]

I was just replying to MikeT's comment that estates suffer if overly-used, I used your car as an example that that isn't really the case ... having in mind that the car can really take a beating, and still be able to drive of the driveway with cargo in it ...